1 The Size of Heaven s Book Sermon by W. Dreyman LCR, Maywood and HT, Hasbrouck Heights July 7, 2013 Lec 14 c Reflecting on the Saints In the Gospel for the day we sense the urgency of Luke s message. 70 are sent out, two by two, to proclaim the good news and to drive out demons in the name of the Lord. The seventy return announcing their success to Jesus. Jesus reminds them it is not their power over evil that is most important, but that their names are written in heaven. They were reminded, as well, of the book of remembrance in their faith tradition that went back to Moses. His name and all of their forbearer s names were remembered in heaven. We have just celebrated our nation s birthday Independence Day. As Ann and I sat on our deck late on July 4 th, hoping the nearby fireworks would make it above the tree line (they did not), Ann s mother Catherine told us how much her father loved fireworks. He was usually a reserved, quiet man. But, every year on July 4 th he set up a fireworks display that brought all the neighbors, especially the kids, to their backyard. Catherine remembered being 5 or 6 years old and asking her father if it was dark enough yet. Over and over she and her siblings would ask: Is it dark enough yet? When it was dark enough the display would fill the sky with light, beaming
2 off the faces of the neighbors looking up at its splendor. Is it dark enough yet? Of course, Independence Day is not about fireworks displays. It is about remembering people like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John and Sam Adams, and a host of others; men and women who stood up to British Imperialism; people who put their lives on the line. You have to wonder how big that book in heaven is. I d like to think it includes figures from the Revolutionary War. Wouldn t you? We remember as well, today, the 19 firefighters that died battling a forest fire in Arizona one week ago today. They are folk s who put their lives on the line regularly to save property, livestock, and human beings from the ravages of fire. I d like to think that their names are written in heaven. And today we remember two saints of the church, Jan Hus and Benedict of Nursia. These are not common names in most of our households. But if we lived in the Czech Republic most of us would be familiar with Jan Hus. He was born in 1369 and died on the 6 th of July 1415. He was a priest and a leading professor at Charles University in Prague. The Czech Republic honors him every July 6 th with a public holiday. Moravian Christians like the ones in nearby Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, know him well and consider themselves in the tradition of Hus
3 and his followers. Martin Luther had read his treatises 100 years later and considered Hus the first reformer. Briefly, in 1402 he was named rector of Charles University. He was simultaneously serving as the preacher at nearby Bethlehem Chapel. The medieval Catholic Church underwent division during this time. In 1408 there was a schism in which there were two popes, one in Rome, the other in Avignon, France. About this time, the practice of indulgences, the same practice that Martin Luther rebelled against, became a common practice that the popes used to fund wars against their enemies. Indulgences were a means of selling the forgiveness of sins for oneself and one s relatives, living or dead. In 1412, Jan Hus asserted that no pope or bishop had the right to take up the sword in the name of the church. He argued his position using Holy Scripture and went on to write that these church leaders should pray for their enemies and bless those that curse them. One receives forgiveness, he wrote, through true repentance, not money. Followers of Hus said his teaching should be obeyed rather that than the popes or the bishops of the church whom they considered a fraud. There were efforts made to reconcile the sides of this debate, but they all failed. Unlike the period of Martin Luther, there were no printing presses, so everything had to be handwritten meaning many fewer copies
4 of writings were available. This meant it was more difficult to get popular support for their positions demanding reform. Hus was tried, condemned to death, and burned at the stake on July 6, 1415. The Hussite Wars, named after Jan Hus were fought from 1420-1431 during which the Church made every effort to eliminate this reforming movement. By the mid 1500s, 90% of the inhabitants of the Czech lands were non- catholic and followed the teachings of Jan Hus and his followers. Today, the churches of the Reformation reassure us that Jan Hus name is written in heaven. We remember Benedict of Nursia today. If we were Roman Catholic or Anglican we might be familiar with this saint, who lived from 480-543 or 547, depending on which sources you believe. Benedict is considered the patron saint of Europe and students. The years during which Benedict lived were the time during which Christianity became a world religion. Yet, what Benedict is best remembered for is creating communities in which brothers or sisters could live together as monks or novices in order to separate themselves from the world. Near the end of his life, Benedict lived as a hermit in a cave just below a monastery in central Italy. He lived there for three years, seeing only a brother from the monastery or receiving written word, from the outside world. Yet, his
5 writings were of moderation, not extremism. He founded 12 monasteries in the vicinity of his cave, a place called Subiaco, and eventually founded the great Benedictine Monastery of Monte Cassino, which is between Rome and Naples. That is where he died, not long after his twin- sister, Scholastica passed away. They were buried together. Because his death was in mid- March, the season of Lent, the church assigned July 11 th as a day to commemorate his life. The church assures us, his name is written in heaven. Jan Hus; Benedict of Nursia; great figures in the history of our faith. We take inspiration from their lives. We remember that their names are written in heaven. Yet, we remember that book has many names written in it. Maybe even the names of Revolutionary figures or firemen in Arizona. One thing is certain. By virtue of our baptism, our names are written in heaven as well. That is something to take confidence in. That is something that speaks of God s overwhelming love for each of us. That is something to remember when the children ask: Is it dark enough yet? And, the light of Christ beams across our faces from above. Amen.